Mobile Adoption in 2014

Allison Howen
by Allison Howen 31 Dec, 2014
Mobile Adoption in 2014

Predictably, 2014 was another big year for mobile.

Because of this, Nielsen decided to take a look back at the adoption rates of smartphones and popular mobile apps. The global information and measurement company found that smartphone penetration grew from 69 percent at the start of the year to 76 percent of mobile subscribers by October 2014. The majority of these subscribers leveraged Android (52 percent) and iOS (43 percent) devices to access their apps, while 3 percent used a device that operated on a Windows phone, followed by 2 percent on a Blackberry.

When it comes to the top smartphone apps of the year, Nielsen's data unsurprisingly found that Facebook and Google apps dominated 2014. In fact, Facebook came in first place with more than 118 million average unique visitors, followed by Google Search with more than 90 million average unique visitors. YouTube, Google Play and Google Maps rounded out the top five. It is important to note, however, that Facebook's Messenger app saw the biggest year-over-year change, with its usage rising 242 percent since 2013.

Allison Howen
Allison Howen
I'm a creative and adaptable journalist with experience in both print and digital media. Some of my best attributes include my social media management, writing and video editing skills. Skills: • Managing social media accounts with tools like HootSuite and Sprout Social • Creating and marketing content for print and digital media • Editing videos with software like Avid Media Composer • Composing articles with Adobe InCopy • Strong knowledge of AP Style • Skilled at interviewing and writing • Able to work on a deadline and produce quality results • Organized and detail oriented • Innovative problem solver